Amber and Dragon
by DeniedSocialLife
Summary: The scene from Other M where Samus got scared of Ridley probably needed some explaining, since a lot of people were pretty angry about it - so here is my take on the situiation. Used the Metroid Manga for references to Samus' past.


The red glow of lava, similar to the red glow of flames that burned, as the village was engulfed in explosions and raging fires left behind by the Space Pirates, when they attacked. It was as if she was back in her youth when she saw the furious blaze, when she saw Ridley stare her in the eyes in such a cruel way, which showed her his intents – to kill and destroy, to survive… And the Galactic Federation threatened the Pirate's safety. She remembered hugging her plushie by her side to comfort her… but that comfort was now replaced by the cold, hard steel of the Varia Suit covering her. Or, t least, it felt cold in comparison to the warmness and comfort she gained from that plushie she squeezed so tightly when she saw Ridley.

Now a voice was screaming at her. She knew the voice, Adam's voice, yelling at her to get away from Ridley. Her thoughts, however, did not let the command register. The yelling became all garbled as she began to hear what she had heard in her memories – a radio that Ridley used to stay one step ahead of the Federation, listening to commands issued by the military… But as far as Samus knew, it was merely filled with the cries of many soldiers as the Pirates killed them. Some screams followed deafening explosions, while some followed the sounds of people being torn apart by the Pirates' claws. It's as if… Adam was them, and she was back on the cliff, just watching Ridley, watching the village behind her burn… and to think she was so happy only seconds earlier, playing with her friends, until one of them noticed the smoke…

And then, there was Ridley himself, stepping towards her with that same horrifying look locked on his features; a look of satisfaction, eternal anger and malicious intent. Eyes locked onto her eyes, obviously enjoying every second of fear that she showed. Suddenly, Adam's voice sounded more and more like Ridley, replaying what he had screamed at her, seconds before attacking her… She cursed her naïve, younger self. Why had she offered friendship to such a monster, when the damning evidence was there…? And then, she remembered… A certain call to her…

The cry of Anthony stood out from the noise, Ridley's growling, the yelling, the sound of lava flowing… And then she sw Ridley get hit by a blast. She looked to the direction of the blast to find Anthony attacking Ridley in a clear intent to save Samus' life… But what she saw in her aching, buzzing head… was the vision of her mother jumping into the line of fire to sacrifice herself. Before she knew it, as if it was all a replay, she saw Anthony get knocked off the platform, Anthony screaming, Samus' mother crying in pain as her body burned… It was exactly like long ago… when her life changed. Then she remembered running away, with the memory of mother burning, the thought of Anthony burning in the unforgiving clutches of lava… And yet, she stood…

All the thoughts, the trauma of that day, the running, the crying, the memories of screams, cries, and Ridley himself, melded together. It was all a blur of pain… but instead of the fear that took over, she found herself clenching a fist unconsciously. Anger started to burn within her without even a thought… She was going to make this monster pay for all the years of torment she went through since then. She was going to kill this monster, rip it apart, make it feel the pain she went through. She could feel her arm cannon charge up, as if sensing her anger. Suddenly, a cry rang out, but it was coming from her… and before she knew it, she was charging. Thoughts of mother, of Anthony, of Adam… and even Old Bird, her Chozo caretaker, flashed through her mind… She was going to make them proud, by destroying the source of all the pain she, and her fallen comrades went through… To kill Ridley, would avenge them all.


End file.
